Managers significantly impact employee well-being, work quality, and retention. Often, managers are pivotal in an employee’s decision to stay or leave an organisation. As the saying goes, “People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers.”
Therefore, fostering and nurturing leadership skills should be a top priority for any company. A range of effective tools can facilitate this development, including:
1. Management training
2. Professional consulting
3. Mentorship program
For managers to change and recognize their strengths and areas for improvement, they need to receive feedback and support throughout their journey. This is precisely the purpose of the UNLOCK Panoramic 360 survey. It evaluates the personal and managerial competencies of leaders from the perspectives of their peers, managers, colleagues, and direct reports, providing clear directions for behavioral changes and personal development. This process enhances self-awareness, helping managers recognize their strengths and weaknesses, and motivating them to address these areas effectively.
Why should companies opt for UNLOCK Panoramic 360 instead of simply providing verbal feedback?
1. Comprehensive, Quantifiable Data and Clear Recommendations: This 360 survey offers in-depth, data-driven insights and actionable recommendations for further development. It answers questions like: How well do managers set goals, motivate teams, provide feedback, and think strategically? These comprehensive insights are simply not achievable through verbal feedback alone.
2. Broader Employee Participation: The survey involves a wide range of employees, providing a more diverse and representative perspective than individual conversations could ever achieve.
3. Confidentiality Fosters Honesty: Employees often hesitate to share their true opinions directly with managers. The confidential nature of this survey creates a safe space for honest and valuable feedback.
4. Data-Driven Action: While managers may have a general sense of their strengths and weaknesses, the structured information from this survey provides a solid foundation for targeted action and improvement.
Recommendations for Conducting Effective Feedback Surveys
It’s important to remember that the survey is just one piece of the puzzle. To maximise its benefits, it must be organised and executed effectively. Here are key recommendations to consider when embarking on a 360 survey:
1. Determine the Scope of Assessment: Decide whether to evaluate all competencies or focus on specific areas. A common question is whether the survey can be shortened. With UNLOCK Panoramic 360, you have the flexibility to choose the components you want to assess.
2. Communicate the Purpose and Goals Clearly: Inform the managers being evaluated first, preparing them for the process and explaining the rationale. Some may react defensively to feedback or the survey itself, so it’s crucial to reassure them that the purpose is not to criticise but to foster growth and development for both the individual and the organisation. The clearer you communicate the value, the more open participants will be to feedback.
3. Inform All Employees: Educate all employees about the survey’s purpose, goals, process, and value. Most importantly, emphasise the confidentiality of responses and the importance of honest feedback. Employees must feel safe and secure participating in the survey.
The Survey Reveals Strengths and Areas for Improvement, What’s Next?
The results are like a health check-up, but it’s important to use this information to plan your next steps.
1. Send the Results: After the survey is complete, send the UNLOCK Panoramic 360 reports to your managers so they can review them. These results are the first step towards positive change – each manager should carefully read their report, think about the suggestions, and make a plan for how they can improve.
2. Talk It Through: It can be tricky to do this alone, so we suggest discussing the reports with someone from HR or an external consultant. Together, you can look at specific situations at work where the manager shines as a leader and spot areas where they could grow. Then you can brainstorm ways to work on these areas: mentoring, training courses, books, podcasts, and so on.
3. Focus on the Main Points: Don’t try to change everything at once. Pick one or two areas to focus on first.
4. Be Ready for Different Reactions: The survey gives a lot of feedback, so some people might react defensively, get upset, or even cry – this is perfectly normal. No one likes to hear they could be doing better. But a good manager who wants to learn and improve will take the feedback on board and make positive changes.
Develop your managers, and they’ll develop their teams.
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Planning a 360 feedback survey for your organisation? Get in touch and try our demo version for free.
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